China urges Israel to remove obstacles to peace talks: UN envoy

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- China Wednesday urged Israel to take effective measures to remove the obstacles to peace talks, and create necessary conditions for rebuilding mutual trust and early resumption of peace talk between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Wang Min, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the remarks at the Security Council stakeout after the consultation on the situation in the Middle East has concluded.

"China expresses serious concern over the announcement of settlement construction in the E1 area, and Israel's suspension of transfers of tax payments to the Palestinian side," Wang said.

"China is deeply worried by the long halt of the peace talks between Palestine and Israel," he said. "The current circumstances have made it more important and urgent to resume peace talks."

"We hope that the parties concerned will resolve their dispute through political negotiations on the basis of relevant UN resolutions, the principle of Land for Peace, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Middle East Peace Roadmap so as to eventually lead to the establishment of an independent state of Palestine and peaceful coexistence between the two states of Palestine and Israel," Wang noted.

China supports the endeavor of the Palestinian people to establish, on the basis of the 1967 border, an independent state of Palestine with full sovereignty and with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Chinese ambassador also called on the international community to take a more active and constructive attitude to promote peace and encourage talks and urge the two sides, especially Israel who is in a stronger position, to adopt concrete measures to remove obstacles to peace talks and rebuild mutual trust so that peace talks could resume at an early date and make substantive progress.

"China will continue to play an active and constructive role in promoting a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian question," he added.